Graves’ Disease vs. Hashimoto’s Disease
Blue Daily
| 3 min read
Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s disease are autoimmune diseases that affect the thyroid. Autoimmune conditions cause the immune system to attack some part of the body. About one in 200 Americans have Graves’ or Hashimoto’s disease, with more women being affected than men.
The thyroid is a gland in the neck that produces hormones that regulate body temperatures, heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism and the body’s reaction to other hormones, according to Johns Hopkins University.
What is Graves’ disease?
Graves’ disease causes the thyroid to overproduce hormones. The resulting hormonal imbalances can cause issues with growth, body development, body temperature, heart rate, menstrual cycles and body weight. Common symptoms of Graves’ disease include:
- anxiety and irritability
- fatigue and reduced stamina
- rapid or irregular heart rate
- gastrointestinal distress
- weight loss or reduced appetite
- insomnia and sleeping issues
- irregular menstrual cycles
Some less common symptoms include:
- a growth on the thyroid called a goiter
- eye swelling, redness, itching, puffy or bulging eyes, and in some cases, pain and loss of vision (Graves’ ophthalmopathy)
- thick, lumpy, red skin on the legs (pretibial myxedema)
Graves’ disease most commonly presents in middle adulthood, but it can present at any time. It is caused by a mixture of genetic and environmental factors, not all of which have been identified. People with Graves’ disease are more likely to have other autoimmune diseases.
What is Hashimoto’s disease?
Hashimoto’s disease is also an autoimmune condition that causes a decline in hormone production. The disease can damage the thyroid through chronic inflammation and goiters, and this damage can cause the thyroid to shrink. Common symptoms of Hashimoto’s disease include:
- a goiter
- fatigue and reduced stamina
- weight gain
- thin, dry hair or hair loss
- reduced heart rate
- enlarged heart
- feeling cold
- joint and muscle pain
- constipation
- heavy and irregular menstrual cycles
- impaired fertility in women
- depression and difficulty concentrating
Hashimoto’s disease usually develops in middle adulthood, and symptoms typically progress slowly. It is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. The causes of Hashimoto’s are believed to be a mixture of genetic and environmental factors but are not all identified. People with Hashimoto’s are also more likely to have other autoimmune conditions.
What are treatments for Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s disease?
Both diseases can be managed and treated with care from your medical team or thyroid or endocrine specialists. There are several thyroid medications and therapies available that can help treat either Graves’ or Hashimoto’s disease. When first noticing symptoms, your doctor may suggest a diagnostic test including but not limited to:
- blood tests to determine thyroid function and hormone levels
- antibody blood tests to gauge autoimmune responses
- thyroid uptake test that tests how quickly the thyroid absorbs iodine
Depending on the results, if either Graves’ or Hashimoto’s is diagnosed, treatment and management of the conditions can then start:
Graves’ disease treatments
- Beta blockers to regulate and protect heart function
- Antithyroid medications that reduce the thyroid’s hormonal production
- Radioiodine therapy that destroys some thyroid tissue to halt hyperthyroidism
- Surgery to remove part or all of the thyroid
Some of these treatments, such as radioiodine therapy and surgery, will result in further maintenance being needed to treat hypothyroidism. In these scenarios, hypothyroidism causes less severe medical issues than hyperthyroidism and is easier to manage in the long term.
Hashimoto’s disease treatments
Hormone replacement therapy to make up for the lack of hormones produced by the thyroid naturally
There are a few different synthetic hormones that are used to treat Hashimoto’s, depending on the severity of the condition and the response to synthetic hormone treatment when first started. Some patients may need more than one type of hormone replacement.
Image: Getty Images
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